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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614318">A Brand New Slytherin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlitdark/pseuds/Moonlitdark'>Moonlitdark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Consequences, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Resorting, Severus Snape's Office, Slytherin Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:22:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614318</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlitdark/pseuds/Moonlitdark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sitting in Severus Snape's office, Harry awaits what he is sure will be a terrible fate. </p><p>But whatever horrific punishment lies in store for him, the results will have been well worth the pain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>140</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Brand New Slytherin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted a long time ago on Livejournal. So if it seems familiar, you've probably read it before.</p><p>Please note that this is not a Harry/Snape fic. There are no real pairings in it all, so I wasn't sure how to tag it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why did you do it?” Snape demanded.</p><p>“To teach them a lesson, I suppose.”  </p><p>“And exactly what lesson were you trying to instil, Mr Potter?”  Snape stood with his arms crossed, glaring down at Harry.</p><p>“I… that they should leave me well enough alone, I guess.”  Harry sat rigidly in the chair, arms on his lap, and tried not to fidget.</p><p>“Were their actions previously not to that effect?”</p><p>Harry took a moment before he answered.  “No, they weren’t.  But it’s not a big deal, I think they got the general idea.”  </p><p>“No, Mr Potter you are mistaken.  It is, as you so inadequately put it – a big deal, indeed.”  Snape’s glare seemed to intensify.</p><p>“It is?” Harry ventured, trying in vain to look as innocent as possible.</p><p>Snape regarded him coolly for a moment.</p><p>“Yes.  Mr Potter, do you not realise that it is quite unacceptable to attempt to poison your fellow students?”  Snape loomed over him as he spoke.</p><p>“I didn’t <i>attempt</i> to do anything.  I think I succeeded pretty well.”</p><p>Looking up at Snape, Harry realised that statement had probably not been the smartest thing he had ever said.</p><p>“So, Mr Potter, you believe that your little venture proved to be a success?”</p><p>Snape’s voice was dangerously low.</p><p>Harry gulped, but decided to be honest anyway.  “Yes.  I do.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>The Potions Master seemed to be regarding him with somewhere between rage and mild curiosity.</p><p>“And I suppose you think that because you succeeded in your questionable task, that you will go unpunished?”</p><p>Harry was actually quite sure that he was about to be slowly boiled in acid.</p><p>“No, I don’t.  But I don’t care,” he lied.</p><p>“Really?”  Snape moved closer and leaned forward slightly in what he obviously considered to be an extremely threatening manner.</p><p>Snape was correct in that assumption.  Harry swallowed as he forced himself to meet the professor’s stare.  “Yes.”</p><p>“You don’t care that I would be quite justified in making you serve a detention for every night of your remaining time here?  Or expel you entirely?”  Leaning very close now…</p><p>More swallowing.  “That’s right.”</p><p>“Mmm… then I shall be forced to consider the many possibilities open to me.”  Snape moved back, clearly considering his next move.</p><p>“Possibilities?”  Harry ventured cautiously.</p><p>“Oh yes, Mr Potter.   Your little indiscretion has presented me with many and varied opportunities to make your existence very miserable indeed.  You belong to me now, after all.”  </p><p>Harry was all too aware of that. A few months previously, just as everyone had waited for the sorting to commence at the beginning of Harry’s war-delayed seventh year, the Sorting Hat had proudly announced in front of the whole school that it was going to resort every student in Hogwarts, due to what it deemed to be some questionable decisions which it had made in the past.  </p><p>Of course, the Headmaster and staff had tried to explain politely (as politely as one can converse with a piece of clothing, anyway), that the hat did not have the authority to reorganise the school at its whim.  This had ultimately proven to be a fruitless venture.  After much scrutiny of the school’s directives, the fact remained that the Sorting Hat had been given complete responsibility and authority over the sorting of the students by the founders.  The Headmistress had therefore declared that it was unfortunate but unavoidable that the whole student body would now be resorted, could you form an orderly line please.</p><p>So, now Harry was here.  Trying to defend his latest actions to his new Head of House.  Actions that he would shortly be paying for, but he felt were entirely worth the pain in his future.</p><p>Snape was still drawling at him.  “Before I decide exactly which of the many options now open to me I shall take advantage of Mr Potter, I shall require you to better explain your actions.”  </p><p>“Explain what?”</p><p>“Explain, you idiot child, all the reasons and the methods you used to complete your self-imposed assignment this evening.”  </p><p>“Does it matter?”</p><p>“Yes.”  Snape scowled.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Mr Potter,” Snape spoke slowly as if he was speaking to a small child, “you are required to tell me exactly which potion you fed to your classmates, so that I may reverse the effects.  Furthermore, you will tell me the reasons behind your actions because I have told you to.”</p><p>“I’ll tell you what was in the potion I made, but not why I gave it to them.”  </p><p>Even though Harry was aware that he was not improving the situation for himself, he was fully prepared to suffer countless detentions before he ever divulged his reasons.</p><p>Snape blinked, frowned.</p><p>“You made this potion?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You didn’t buy it?”  </p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Snape murmured, one eyebrow raised and looking suddenly curious.  “What did it contain and how did you brew it?”</p><p>Harry sighed resignedly as he listed the ingredients he had used and the order and methods with which he had brewed the potion.  Snape paced as Harry spoke and his eyes widened slightly at a few of the ingredients, but he did not interrupt.</p><p>“Interesting,” Snape said finally, once Harry had finished.</p><p>Harry didn’t comment, he simply sat rigid in his seat inwardly steeling himself for the barrage of ranting which he was sure would start any second.</p><p>But Snape didn’t rant.  Instead, he stopped pacing directly in front of Harry and stared down evenly.</p><p>“You were aware, I presume of the many effects this complicated potion would have?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You were aware that the boils it produced on the body would be extremely painful and disfiguring?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Then you were also aware of the severe muscle cramping, vomiting and laxative nature of the concoction?”  Snape was again leaning in very close to Harry as he spoke. </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“And you served it to my students without a care or conscience regarding these effects?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>The edges of Snape’s mouth twitched almost imperceptivity.</p><p>Harry waited, still tightly seated, returning Snape’s glassy stare and vaguely wondering why Snape wasn’t screaming at him yet.</p><p>“Do you have an antidote?”</p><p>Snape’s eyes bore into him and Harry felt a slick film form on his brow.</p><p>“Yes,” he said simply.</p><p>“Give it to me.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Stony silence thudded into place.  Snape positively glared.</p><p>“Bring it to me.  Now.”</p><p>The glare was becoming too much for Harry, so he flicked his eyes away from it.  </p><p>“No.  I won’t give you anything.”</p><p>“Look at me.”  The voice coming from above him was unnervingly calm.</p><p>Harry closed his eyes in reflex, hiding from the glare. </p><p>“<i>Look</i> at me.”  More insistent now, but still surprisingly calm.</p><p>His hands were trembling, and he had to summon an immense reserve of courage to open his eyes and raise them up to again meet Snape’s.</p><p>Snape looked murderous.</p><p>Harry made himself hold his gaze to Snape’s and though he knew it was pointless to continue this, he didn’t speak.</p><p>“Listen very carefully Mr Potter, because I will not repeat myself.  You will raise yourself from this chair and fetch the antidote to your potion and hand it to me.  You will do this now or I will make your already pathetic little life a living hell.”</p><p>Harry’s eyes flicked away again and closed.  He breathed slowly.  Snape waited.</p><p>Several steady, deep breaths later Harry opened his eyes, but determinedly did not look at Snape.  He stood up on unsteady legs and walked through the door to the office and back to the Slytherin common room.  Ignoring the comments directed at him as he moved through the room (some of which, Harry thought vaguely, didn’t sound exactly disapproving of what he had done), into to his dorm and extracted what he needed from his trunk.  He was dimly aware of receiving some weirdly sympathetic looks from his housemates as he departed once again.  Harry opened the heavy oak door to Snape’s office and walked reluctantly over to stand in front of the waiting professor.  </p><p>Snape did not utter a sound; he simply continued to glare menacingly as he held out his hand to receive the glass vial, and Harry’s own slightly shaking hand placed it into Snape’s palm.</p><p>“Sit down,” Snape growled.</p><p>Harry sat.</p><p>Snape studied the vial intently.</p><p>“Did you also make this?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Just in case something went wrong.”  </p><p>“Did you anticipate that it was probable that something would indeed go wrong?”  That eyebrow was raised again.</p><p>“You never know,” Harry admitted.</p><p>“I shudder to contemplate what you would consider to be an ill effect when you were already quite aware of the results your concoction would produce.”</p><p>Harry didn’t answer.  Snape didn’t really seem to expect him to.</p><p>“I assure you that if this little vial contains anything other than a viable antidote, you will be very sorry indeed.”</p><p>“It’s the right antidote.” </p><p>“How can you be sure of this fact?”  Leaning closer again.</p><p>Harry tried to look convincing. </p><p>“I know it is.  I studied it.  It’s right.”  </p><p>Snape drew himself up to his full height.  “For your sake, I hope that your assumption is correct.”  </p><p>“It’s not an assumption!” Harry snapped.</p><p>“Really.  Well, we shall see.  But first there is the matter of your reasoning for your actions.”</p><p>Harry attempted a blank stare and knew he hadn’t quite pulled it off.</p><p>“Tell me.”  Snape was leaning over him again.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Very well.”  Snape straightened.  “I must deliver this vial to the hospital wing so that Madame Pomfrey can administer the contents.  You will remain here.  If you insist on continuing this ludicrous and utterly pointless display of stubbornness then you will see just how long I can wait for an answer, Mr Potter.”  Snape stepped over to the fireplace.  “You will remain seated until I return.  Do you understand?”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Harry muttered quietly.</p><p>Snape was gone in a green flash of floo powder.  Against his better judgement, Harry remained seated as instructed to await his fate.</p><p>After about half an hour of increasing dread, he turned his head to witness a slightly dishevelled Potions Master emerging from the fireplace with an expression of pure massacre.  Snape advanced towards him with alarming speed and grasped both Harry’s shoulders with strong hands, whipping him around in his seat.  This time Snape leaned in so far that their noses almost touched.</p><p>“What did you do?"</p><p>Harry placed what he hoped was an expression of innocence on his face.</p><p>“Do…sir?”</p><p>“Don’t play dumb with me, Mr Potter.  What was in that potion?”</p><p>More than slightly astonished that Snape would administer a potion to students merely on Harry’s assurance, he replied, “Ingredients.” Although hopeful, Harry hadn’t actually believed Snape would be so gullible.  Maybe it just hadn’t occurred to Snape that even Harry could be <i>that</i> reckless.</p><p>Snape took a very audible shuddering breath and squeezed his grip on Harry’s shoulders painfully.  He was so close that Harry could see the pores in his pale skin.  Harry tried to affect his look of innocence back at Snape.</p><p>“Obviously, Mr Potter.  What you are about to explain to me though, is exactly which ingredients it contained and why you deemed it appropriate to lie to me.”</p><p>“Lie, sir?”  Harry’s innocent expression was becoming harder to maintain.</p><p>Snape was breathing very hard.  Each outward breath tussled Harry’s fringe.  Harry refused to look away.</p><p>“Yes.  You lied to me and I shall not tolerate it.”</p><p>“Did it not remove the boils?”  The innocent look slipped for a moment and Harry grappled to restore it.</p><p>Snape took yet another very deep breath.</p><p>“No.  It.  Did.  Not.  As you well know.”  Snape sounded as if it was taking him a great deal of control not to just snap Harry’s neck and get it over with.</p><p>Harry’s throat convulsed instinctively.</p><p>“What did it do, then?” he asked, trying to sound as blameless as his expression hopefully showed.</p><p>“The abomination which you brewed caused an unfortunate reaction.”</p><p>“What kind of reaction?”  Sounding innocent was proving not to be as easy as Harry had hoped.</p><p>“Mixing it with the previous potion has apparently caused an unfortunate reaction to a certain part of the patients’ anatomies,” Snape snarled.</p><p>A perfect vision appeared suddenly in Harry’s mind and he stifled a giggle.  Not very well.</p><p>Snape <i>glared</i>.</p><p>The grip on Harry’s shoulders was becoming excruciating, but he refused to allow himself to flinch. </p><p>“This behaviour and your intentional disregard and mocking of my position is going to be punished in ways that you can only imagine, Mr Potter.”</p><p>Harry swallowed hard.  Nose to nose like this, he could detect an undistinguishable scent on Snape’s breath and Harry wondered vaguely what teenage flesh would smell like after it had been devoured.</p><p>“I didn’t mock your position.”  Harry was trying in vain to regain some semblance of anything that looked or sounded remotely not guilty.</p><p>A low grumble reverberated from Snape.  “No?  Then kindly inform me what your intention was.”  </p><p>“So… so you, you didn’t check the ingredients before you gave it to them?  I mean, I know that you can do that.”</p><p>Harry tried for innocent again.  Hopeless really.</p><p>“No,” Snape muttered through clenched teeth, “I regrettably failed to inspect the makeup of the contents, as I was apparently foolish enough to believe that your noble Gryffindor tendencies merited a degree of trust.”  </p><p>“But I’m not a Gryffindor, sir.” </p><p>Snape leaned back, released Harry’s aching shoulders and strode over to his desk where he stiffly sat down in the chair behind it, crossing his arms.  Extremely reluctantly, Harry faced the desk.</p><p>“It would seem not,” drawled Snape.  Harry couldn’t quite read his expression now.</p><p>The silence that passed between them seemed to last an eternity before Snape spoke again.</p><p>“How are the effects reversed?”  Snape demanded.</p><p>The tone in that voice was unmistakable.  Harry knew that if he failed to offer a satisfactory reply, he was most certainly going to regret it.</p><p>“The effects will wear off in a few days.”</p><p>“Mmm.”  Snape appeared to regard that as adequate, at least for the moment, but his voice shook with obvious restraint as he spoke.  “Well, it seems then that we have some time to wait before I can determine if that was another lie.  You will now tell me your reasons for these despicable actions.”</p><p>Harry had opened his mouth to say no, but Snape didn’t give him a chance.</p><p>“<i>Now</i>.”</p><p>His hands were beginning to shake in his lap, but Harry remained silent.  </p><p>“I shall not ask again.”  Those words were snarled with such venom that Harry almost jumped.</p><p>“I…” Harry’s voiced trailed away.</p><p>“Have you finally lost your nerve, Mr Potter?”  Snape smirked evilly.</p><p>“No… I - I mean… I…” Harry stammered.</p><p>“That was not very coherent.”</p><p>Harry reluctantly resigned himself to his fate.  “I did it to get my own back,” he sighed.  </p><p>“For what?” Snape enquired coolly.</p><p>“For… for the way they treat me.”  Harry looked down at his hands clenched tightly on his lap.</p><p>“And how do they treat you?”  Snape placed his elbows on the desk and clasped his fingers together as he leaned forward.</p><p>“They… that is Malfoy and his two hip attachments, they treated me like I was shit for years and then it occurred to them that I could give them something.  So eventually, to shut them up, I thought I’d appear to be willing.”</p><p>“Willing to do what, Mr Potter?”  Snape definitely looked curious now.</p><p>“They… they thought that I’d do stuff.”</p><p>“’Stuff’  is not an acceptable choice of word.  Please enlighten me, I am almost sure that even your limited vocabulary possesses a better descriptive.”  Snape smirked again.</p><p>Harry’s faced burned.  He would rather spend months in detention than tell Snape, but he was gradually getting the impression that the man would simply keep him here forever until he spat it out.</p><p>“They… thought I’d - that I’d… have sex with them.”  The ending came out as a rather quiet mumble, but Harry knew Snape had heard it.  </p><p>There was an uncertain pause before Snape spoke again.</p><p>“Are you informing me Mr Potter, that Mr Malfoy and his friends made a sexual advance towards you?”</p><p>“Not just one.”  Harry studied his hands.  </p><p>“How many?”  </p><p>“I’m not sure… between the three of them, about two or three a night, I’d guess,” he muttered.</p><p>“How did you persuade them to consume the potion?” Snape was speaking very slowly and carefully.</p><p>Harry was sure that he had to be positively beet red by now.</p><p>“I… got them to meet me in that classroom ‘cos nobody really uses it and I…” Harry’s voice trailed off into nothing once more.</p><p>“Go on.”  </p><p>“I told them that the potion would… increase their… performance.”  Beet, <i>beet</i> red.</p><p>“And they believed you?”</p><p>If Harry had been blushing before, his skin now felt as if it was melting.  </p><p>He fought hard to recover control of himself and continued.  “Yes.  Malfoy in particular seemed quite chuffed about the idea.”</p><p>Despite his embarrassment, Harry considered the mental picture that had appeared in his mind of Malfoy and his entourage lying in the hospital wing with painful, oozing boils covering their bodies, including their now shrivelled excuses for penises, to be somewhat cheering.</p><p>Snape looked incredulous.  “Why did you not bring this matter to my attention?”  </p><p>“Why would I?” Harry snapped, and his eyes reflexively shot up to meet Snape’s.</p><p>“Because I am your Head of House, and as such I am responsible for your welfare.”  Snape was looking at Harry as if this should have been quite obvious.</p><p>“I wasn’t gonna tell you that!” Harry yelled and dark eyes narrowed dangerously.  “I mean,” Harry lowered his voice, “we’re a bunch of hormonal teenagers stuck in a dorm together and this stuff’s gonna happen occasionally.”</p><p>Snape leaned back in his seat.  “Two or three times a night is not occasionally.”  </p><p>“No.  It’s not really,” Harry admitted.</p><p>There was an unusual lilt to his voice when Snape spoke again.  “So, if I am to understand this correctly, rather than informing your Head of House that you were unhappy with your housemate’s actions, you decided that it would be best to take matters into your own hands.”  </p><p>“Yeah, that’s about right,” Harry mumbled.</p><p>“Well, I think that your methods have indeed been very successful.  I do not believe that any of the gentlemen in question will be displaying any signs of lust towards you in the near future, or for as long as the memory of this event exists within them.”  A tiny smile had begun to creep at the edges of Snape’s mouth, but it vanished quickly.</p><p>Harry gaped, unsure either if he had understood what Snape had said, or if he was expected to reply.</p><p>“But the fact remains that your actions were not acceptable and thus it is required that you be punished accordingly.  You shall report to my office at 8am on Saturday to assist me with a potion I am planning to brew.”</p><p>Harry continued to gape, waiting for the mention of boiling acid.  He was only aware that he had still not replied when Snape shifted forward again.</p><p>“Is that clear?”  The snarl had returned.</p><p>Harry flinched slightly in his seat.  “Yes.  I just… I was…”</p><p>“Expecting a somewhat different punishment?”  Snape’s eyes glinted.</p><p>“Well… yes,” Harry said nervously.</p><p>“Since it has come to my attention that your potion brewing and other skills are developing well, I consider that it would be prudent to advance your studies.”</p><p>Harry tried to read Snape’s expression and failed miserably.</p><p>“Other skills?” he asked tentatively.</p><p>“Yes.  I admit to having my doubts as to whether you would be able to successfully integrate into my house, but tonight’s events seem to show a lot of promise.  As long as I constantly remind myself to never at any time in my life accept any beverages which you may offer me.”  Snape looked almost satisfied.</p><p>Harry was speechless.</p><p>Snape rose.  “It is time for you to return to the common room.  To what is now quite undoubtedly your adoring public.”</p><p>“I don’t…” Harry’s voice trailed off yet again.</p><p>Snape was looking at Harry again as if this all was ridiculously obvious.  “Mr Potter, it is a fundamental quality within our number.”  </p><p>Harry was lost.  “I - what is?”</p><p>“The ability to coerce others into doing what we want.  It is a quality that Mr Malfoy and company attempted to display in their actions, but they were pitifully overshadowed in this instance by yourself.  And furthermore, to take on myself in such a manner by tricking me into helping you inflict further damage is somewhat admirable.”  </p><p>Harry was gaping again.</p><p>“Close your mouth,” Snape growled.</p><p>Harry closed it with a snap.</p><p>“I have high hopes for you, Mr Potter.”  Snape’s eyes were positively sparkling, and Harry found it very unnerving.  “Return to the common room.”</p><p>Harry rose once again from his seat and walked towards the door.  A very satisfied voice came from behind him.</p><p>“Yes, well done.  All that remains is to teach you how not to get <i>caught</i>.”</p>
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